Chapter 33 - 32: Inner Waters

Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Inner Waters

While they were talking, the thousand-foot ship sailed into the Inner Waters.

Although they were both part of Jingyue Lake, the Inner Waters and Outer Waters felt like two completely different worlds. The naturally growing wall of aquatic plants acted as a barrier separating them. Spiritual Mist drifted over the jade-green surface of the lake, which was shrouded in a misty rain. As lotus petals fell onto the water, golden ripples spread outward. Suddenly, cyan scales broke through the mist. Wherever the translucent tail fins swept past, the layered reflections of the red sun and auspicious clouds shattered into sparkling, fragmented gold.

INHALE!

The dense Spiritual Qi made the thirty-five newly promoted Senior Fishermen and Farmers greedily suck in a deep breath. Chen Jianghe’s eyes lit up, secretly rejoicing in his heart. He had heard from Old Gao that the Spiritual Qi in the Inner Waters was abundant, but he never expected it to be this rich.

Cultivating here couldn’t compare to absorbing Spiritual Qi directly from a Spirit Stone, but it was at least thirty percent faster than in the Outer Waters. This meant that the ten years it would normally take him to reach Third-Layer Qi Refining Perfection and attempt a breakthrough to Mid-Stage Qi Refining would now only take seven years.

"The Spiritual Qi concentration in the Inner Waters is merely on par with a Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Vein, yet it provides such a massive boost to my Cultivation speed. I’ve heard there’s a Tier Two Lower-Grade Spiritual Vein beneath Huxing Island," Chen Jianghe thought to himself. "If I could cultivate on Huxing Island, my progress would probably be fifty percent faster than in the Outer Waters."

However, he had already abandoned the idea of cultivating on Huxing Island. The only way to achieve that was to marry into the Yun family. Otherwise, even an artisan with Tier One High-Grade Skills wouldn’t be allowed to cultivate there. Marrying into another family was not what he desired.

Seeing these Fishermen and Farmers greedily inhaling the Spiritual Qi, the corners of Yun San’s mouth curled up, a flash of contempt crossing his eyes. As Yun Bufan’s follower, he cultivated on Huxing Island, where the Spiritual Qi was far denser. He continued explaining the precautions for breeding Little Cyan Fish, as well as the rules of living in the Inner Waters.

The fry of the Little Cyan Fish were actually Large Cyan Fish weighing four and a half catties. The job of a Senior Fisherman and Farmer was to feed these fry with Immortal Spirit Rice to wash away their hostility and awaken their Spiritual Wisdom. This would allow them to reach the Entry Tier and become Spirit Beasts. The breeding cycle was three years, which meant they would only receive their salary once every three years.

Unlike a Basic-Level Fisherman and Farmer, a Senior Fisherman and Farmer had no guaranteed base salary. Every Senior Fisherman and Farmer would be given a hundred fry. Successfully nurturing one into an Entry-Tier Spirit Beast Little Cyan Fish would reward them with one Spirit Stone. If not a single Entry-Tier Little Cyan Fish was successfully bred after three years, their salary would be calculated based on the average weight.

Because these Large Cyan Fish consumed Immortal Spirit Rice, not only would their Spiritual Wisdom be awakened, but their size would also shrink. The smaller they were, the more concentrated the Spiritual Qi became, nourishing every inch of their Physical Body. This made their meat significantly more delicious and provided supplementary Cultivation benefits for Cultivators. Therefore, for every one tael of average weight lost by the bred Little Cyan Fish, the breeder would receive ten grains of Spiritual Sand. It seemed like a meager amount, but Senior Fishermen and Farmers ultimately relied on raising Entry-Tier Little Cyan Fish to earn their pay. That was the bulk of a Senior Fisherman and Farmer’s income—a single successful Little Cyan Fish meant one Spirit Stone.

"The breeding waters are just ahead. Those whose names are called, get off the ship immediately. The fry and fish food will be delivered in three days." As the large ship sailed through the waterways of the Inner Waters and entered the breeding zone, Yun San began assigning water areas to the newly promoted Senior Fishermen and Farmers.

One name after another echoed from Yun San’s mouth, and the Fishermen and Farmers on board began to depart one by one.

"Chen Jianghe, Zone C No.12 Water Area."

Grabbing his daily necessities, Chen Jianghe leaped off the ship. Directing Dantian Magical Power to his toes, he stepped across the water’s surface and landed on a hundred-foot-long Upturned Boat. From now on, this would be his home in the Inner Waters.

The fry wouldn’t be delivered for another three days. He had originally planned to use this time to bring Little Black over, but leaving immediately after entering the Inner Waters might attract unwanted attention. After all, all thirty-five of them had just purchased a month’s worth of daily necessities.

"I’ll wait a month," Chen Jianghe decided. Since he had already entered the Inner Waters, there was no need to rush for a month. Recalling the living rules of the Inner Waters that Yun San had explained, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

"So Senior Fishermen and Farmers are allowed to set foot on Huxing Island," he thought in surprise.

No wonder it was rare to see Senior Fishermen and Farmers or Honored Guest Elders at the port at the end of each year. It turned out that those living in the Inner Waters were permitted to board Huxing Island every New Year’s Eve to buy or sell Cultivation Resources. Of course, they had a strict time limit on the island—they could not stay for more than three hours and had to leave before 5:00 PM.

Additionally, there were White Egrets in the Inner Waters that could help deliver letters. However, their payment was no longer a cyan fish, but a grain of Spiritual Sand. The clever White Egrets would use the Spiritual Sand to find a Yun family Steward and exchange it for a Large Cyan Fish from the Outer Waters.

A single fry in the Inner Waters weighed four and a half catties and was highly valuable. They were only given a hundred fry in total. Moreover, there was a prerequisite to earning the average weight commission: the survival rate had to be above ninety percent. This meant that when the three-year term was up and the Yun family came to collect the harvest, there had to be at least ninety live fish in the breeding waters. Otherwise, there would be no commission. If the breeder also failed to raise a single Entry-Tier Little Cyan Fish, it would mean working for three years for nothing—not even earning a single grain of Spiritual Sand.

Chen Jianghe was very confused about why the Yun family was breeding Little Cyan Fish. If it was merely to serve them on the dining table, it was far too extravagant. It cost at least three Spirit Stones to raise a single Little Cyan Fish. Wouldn’t that mean serving one would cost a minimum of five Spirit Stones? How many bites could a one-catty Little Cyan Fish provide? Even for a dish made from a Spirit Beast, he still found it excessively luxurious. As for whether the Little Cyan Fish had any other uses beyond the dining table, he had no idea.

On the large ship, with Yun San’s fierce gaze bearing down on them, no one dared to whisper among themselves.

Three days passed.

The Yun family delivered the hundred fry, along with a six-month supply of fish food, which consisted of two types: Immortal Spirit Rice and Rice Bran. The Immortal Spirit Rice was to be fed once a month at a half-catty per serving, while the Rice Bran was used for all other feedings. Immortal Spirit Rice was even more precious than Spirit Marrow Rice; it not only contained Spiritual Qi but also had a mind-purifying effect. For beasts, it was highly effective at awakening their intellect. A single catty was worth twelve grains of Spiritual Sand.

After the Yun family’s personnel left, Chen Jianghe released the fry into the lake. Immediately after, he was dumbfounded. The moment these fry hit the water, they began viciously biting each other. Their hostility was incredibly heavy, their eyes blood-red with the desire to devour their own kind.

"Separate!"

Chen Jianghe’s Dantian Magical Power surged forth, and his five fingers shot out Silver Threads to fling apart the fighting fry. However, his Cultivation was insufficient. He could only separate five fry at a time, preventing ten from biting each other. Moreover, the fry that had just been separated charged right back into the school in the blink of an eye, resuming their savage brawling.

"Three whole years!" he muttered.

Chen Jianghe didn’t lack time, but he certainly didn’t want to work three years for nothing. If he couldn’t stop the fry from tearing each other apart, he would truly be breeding them for free. However, he genuinely lacked breeding experience. Back in the Outer Waters, it was basically Little Black who took care of breeding the Large Cyan Fish. Apart from his Cultivation, he spent almost all his time studying Magic.

"Are you hungry?"

Chen Jianghe grabbed a bag of Rice Bran, sliced it open with his Magical Power, and poured it over the school of fish.

SPLASH...

The fry leaped up one after another, fighting to devour the Rice Bran. During the chaotic collisions, several fry ended up floating belly-up.